Our guest today is Terri L. Austin, the debut author of Diners,
Dives and Dead Ends, A Rose Strickland Mystery. To learn more about
Terri and her books, visit her website. -- AP
I love a good hero. Or in the case of my new mystery, Diners Dives and Dead Ends, a good
heroine. Rose is brave in the face
of adversity. She’s loyal and kind. All good fictional hero/heroines should
be brave, likeable, but flawed and human at the same time.
But I have to admit, I love
a good villain just as much. A
good villain lets our heroine shine.
Gives her something to work against, makes her sharper, stronger. Brings her game up a notch.
Not the mustache-twirling
villain or the obvious psycho. Where’s
the fun in that? I want a villain
dressed up like a kind, elderly neighbor. Who’s secretly blackmailing her fellow choir member. Or the businessman who drives his kids
to soccer practice. But has
another, secret family one town over.
But what’s better than a
good villain? A sexy one. A villain who’s so bad, he’s good. And looks good when he’s doing wrong. One who rides the edge between being
lost to the dark side or being almost redeemable. And that’s the kind of villain I like to write about. Is he all evil? Or is there just enough good left to
make him turn from his wicked ways? And that’s what makes the sexy villain so intriguing. Even when he’s doing something morally
wrong, we can’t help ourselves. We’re
attracted to his bad boy persona, we want
him to be redeemable, to change his ways. And we admire the heroine that makes it happen. Will he give up his illegal ways for
her? Or is she only fooling
herself by thinking there’s something decent in him?
So what do you think? What makes a great villain? And do you like a sexy bad guy as much
as I do?
Thanks for joining us today, Terri. Well, readers? How do you like your villains served up? -- AP
13 comments:
Oh, I so agree! The most vile bully I knew, was also the most beautiful young man I have ever seen. Blond hair, blue eyes. Girls looked at him and swooned, but he was EVIL. It taught me at a early age villain are not always Snydley Whiplash. Some of nature's most deadly things are beautiful, and use that beauty to further their evil.
The sexy villain gives you a good dose of reality and are so much fun to read and write.
I agree, Deborah. Sometimes the most benign-looking people are the worst. But a blast to write.
Love sexy villains & Terri has a very sexy one in her book named Sullivan. He's delicious! Great post, Terri and Lois!
Thanks, Larissa! Sullivan is quite a character and keeps my heroine, Rose, on her toes.
Hi Terri. I love the title of your book and will check it out as soon as I finish this comment. I write my villains as very complex characters so your "Sullivan" sounds like he adds much to your story. And the sexy part certainly doesn't hurt!
Thanks, Cindy. I love a complex villain!
I'm with Larissa! Love Sullivan. He's my favorite type of hero.
Absolutely love a sexy villain. Someine you can love to hate! Comic book villains are so boring. I like them with a bit of complexity, even a reason why I might root for them under other circumstances.
The title of the book sounds like that Guy Fieri T.V. show!
I think a villain should be mean and maybe ugly, not too good looking or else the heroine may fall for him. Right now I can imagine a villain with an eyepatch, but then again I did see someone like that in a movie recently.
I made the previous comment. I don't know why my name doesn't show up; my e-mail shows up on the main page and I'm signed in.
Michelle F.
Thanks, Anise! Sulllivan is sort of an antihero/hero?
I agree, Karen. the more complex and conflicted the villain, the better.
Great topic! Most of my books feature sexy villains, and in a couple I deliberately made the villain so handsome in a wholesome, guy-next-door kind of way that no one but the put-upon heroine believed he could be a bad guy. In my latest, I had a lot of fun taking a very bad (but sexy) guy and showing him start to reform...with the help of a very strong woman, of course!
Thanks, John!
Sounds intriguing, E.F. A fallen angel type. I love it.
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